Out & About #439 | Daldongnae + Soul Café

After several Hillcrest errands, it dawned upon us that it was lunch time.

McDonald's, whose yellow and red exterior could be clearly seen from the glass panels of Hudson's Bay, was the unanimous choice, both for convenience of location and the sake of finalizing my Snoopy collection.

​As luck would have it though, the location did not carry the desired toy series, thus prompting me to cancel the Happy Meal order in favour of a McChicken combo instead.

And so the journey continues for the last Snoopy.

​Approximately one month ago, I had proposed a multi-player game session at VR Zone to one of my hip friends. The plan was executed successfully, though our experience was far less impressive than my previous visit during the frigid winter months.
The girl behind the counter was not only rude and unhelpful, but was also adamant about not providing us with an extended play period due to setup delays and equipment malfunctioning. The entire process made it difficult for newcomers to enjoy their time and experience the visual potential of the apparatus.

​Fast-forward to dinner time, we headed over to Daldongnae - another one of my suggestions. Korean barbecue (aka KBBQ) is generally not my top choice of cuisine: fumes are rampant and greasy, while meat is the obvious focus of the meal. As someone with a diet primarily consisting of greens, carbs, lean meats, and sugar (in the form of bubble tea), the realm of red meat remains relatively unexplored to me.

To be frank, I had never stepped foot in an authetic Korean barbecue restaurant; my party had never been large enough, and there was never incentive to dine at an establishment where one would depart reeking of the table's selection (or that of the tables adjacent).

​Despite being located within close proximity to TORCH, the strip shares a different asphalt lot from the Hair Bank side of shops. Six parking spots can be found immediately outside the restaurant, though not a single spot was vacant at our time of arrival. Eventually, we settled on the unenforced residential area along Connaught, only later to re-position when a spot opened up.

According to the half of our party who had entered the premises first, there had been a minimal wait of ten minutes for the general dining area, which featured wooden booths along the wall and several round tables with backless, barrel seats in the central corridor. A brighter, non-drinking area was situated at the back of the restaurant, presumably for families or groups with small children.

​Little to no guidance was provided to us by the waitresses. Menus had been set down, but neither introductions nor instructions were delivered until we inquired about recommendations. Many of the girls stuttered while responding in English. Some were forgetful, while others were nearly impossible to flag down.

Ultimately, we settled for one order each of the Pork Belly (No. 1 on the "pork" listings) and Beef Rib Eye Roll (No. 5 on the "beef" side). An Oden Soup was also requested.

​Little to no guidance was provided to us by the waitresses. Menus had been set down, but neither introductions nor instructions were delivered until we inquired about recommendations. Many of the girls stuttered while responding in English. Some were forgetful, while others were nearly impossible to flag down.

Ultimately, we settled for one order each of the Pork Belly (No. 1 on the "pork" listings) and Beef Rib Eye Roll (No. 5 on the "beef" side). An Oden Soup was also requested.

​Once orders had been placed, it didn't take long for condiment plates and side dishes to make their way over. Each guest had access to a sweet onion dipping sauce, chunky red paste, and oil-based dressing with coarse pieces of preserving salt. A basket of rigid romaine leaves and stale carrot sticks were also presented for the making of ssam wraps - also known as Korean meat wraps.
The griddle arrived with a sectioned moat containing whole garlic cloves, kimchi, and corn cheese. Before making her swift exit, the waitress poured a pale yellow liquid from a Stainless steel kettle into the last compartment, noting that it was (to become) steamed egg.

Served atop a rectangular wooden plank were the chosen meat varieties; an onion slice and two button mushrooms accompanied the strips.
I was rather neutral towards the scope of their offerings, for I only intended to consume a small fraction of my allocated portion. Two members of the party commented on its supposedly small size, though ordering more would have resulted in excess.

​The Pork Belly was an item that I, admittedly, did not try for fear of instant stomach pains. A shocking amount of fat coated the strip, making it great for greasing the grill beforehand. At the same time, it also meant subconscious wariness for the weak stomach-holders.
Beef Rib Eye had been cut into small pieces for uniform cooking, though it was observed that the exterior of some specimens began to shrivel while the interior remained blood red due to the exposed nature of the high-temperature grill (and our overall lack of skillful grilling capabilities). The flesh was fatty nonetheless, and was best enjoyed with a dollop of sauce and leaf of somewhat fresh romaine.

​Oden Soup, which had been my suggestion, was served piping hot and came with four small shallow pans with handles. Included within the soup was only a handful of ingredients: triangular pieces of fish cake, one hard-boiled egg, a few strips of red bell pepper, and a meager portion of green onion strips. There was not a single fish ball in site, nor any mushrooms or corn. The broth was comforting, though its lack of ingredient selection was utterly disappointing. Moreover, the fish cakes were ridiculously soggy.

​Bathrooms were located at the base of a flight of stairs near the entrance in the form of two gender-separated stalls. Given the heavy amount of traffic of the restaurant, it came as a shock to me that there weren't a greater number of stalls. The interior was dimly-lit and not quite as hygienic as I would prefer, though still far superior in comparison to Sugar Marmalade or ZenQ. An intriguing aspect was the sprinkler-like installation that doubled as a hook; it hung from a corner of the low ceiling as opposed to the back of the door. 

​All in all, Daldongnae is a decent spot for Korean barbecue beginners and small eaters alike. The restaurant is home to several unmistakably traditional elements - interwoven into both the menu and decor - and offers a compact selection of meats with interesting condiment pairings. Personally, I would have appreciated a condensed set of grilling instructions, as it would have enhanced the experience for those unfamiliar with the cuisine.
On a final note, be aware that there is no escaping the meaty, greasy fumes.

​The Cups was closed, as it always is on Sundays, so we headed to Soul Cafe's location on Spring Garden (seeing as Drewry was closed as well).

​The bathroom was still on the less pristine side, and, this time, the water dispenser also happened to be running low.

​< Pictured below: Green Tea Shaved Ice (Small), Injeolmi Shaved Ice (Small) >

The Green Tea Shaved Ice was tasty, but dissolved rather rapidly. Injeolmi Shaved Ice was topped with a generous amount of soybean powder and proved to be as tasty as the previous visit.